Dust tight fluorescent lighting luminaire



I Dec. 31, i946. D, H TUCK ETAL 2,413,666

` DUSTTIGHT FLUORES'GENT LIGHTING LUMINAIRE e l YEl .l

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ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1946 DUST TIGHT FLUORESCENT LIGHTING LUMINAIRE Davis H. Tuck, Redding Ridge, Conn., and Kurt Franck and Wilbert Quaek, Newark, Ohio, assignors to Holophane Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 10, 1944, Serial No. 539,706

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to dust tight uorescent lighting luminaires.

Dust tight fluorescent lighting luminaires are generally made in individual units somewhat more than four feet long or five feet long, depending upon whether the 40 or 10i) watt lamps are to be employed, and have a glass window in the bottom usually a foot or more wide. In the usual constructions the metallic body of the fixture hingedly supports a frame which carries the light transmitting material, usually glass, which must be opened each time the fixture is to be serviced and then closed. Various gasketing devices and clamping devices have been employed for securing dust tight gasketed joints about the frame. Owing to the size of the apparatus the hinged closure is necessarily very heavy and the frame lacks rigidity. When the fixture is opened for servicing the hinged frame and glass must hang down from one side of the fixture thereby placing aneccentric load on the fixture and supports causing an unnecessary strain on the supports and twisting the fixture somewhat out of position. There is more or less likelihood that in reclosing the fixture the joint made will not be as dust tight as desirable, and there is no way of detecting any defect in the tightness of the joint.

The present invention contemplates dust tight luminaires using fluorescent lamps wherein the light transmitting closureA is permanently sealed in place in the enclosing housing, so that it is not disturbed in the servicing of the fixture, and thereby avoiding disturbing gaskets around it.

According to the present invention the side of the fixture is provided with a large door which can be swung open to provide access to the interior of the fixture housing for servicing and maintenance as well as for the insertion of the electrical equipment for the fixture. This door being a metal door is light in weight and can be very securely clamped against suitable gaskets carried by the metal housing. The present invention therefore avoids disturbing the gasket connections around the glass or between the glass carrying frame and the fixture body. In order to facilitate servicing the fixture when the door is opened, the present invention contemplates pivotally mounting the lamp supports so that the lamps may be shifted from adjacent the window to be adjacent the door.

Other and further objects will hereinafter appear as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawing shows, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, an

2 embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawing is illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In this drawing:

Figures 1 and 2 are top plan and side elevational views of the luminaire;

Y Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the luminaire;

Figure 4 is an end elevational View showing the door open and the lamp carrier shifted to bring the lamps opposite the door opening;

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional View through the fixture showing the parts in normal operating position in full lines and showing in dot-and-dash lines the position for servicing the lamps;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view with parts in elevation;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the parts in position to place the ballast adjacent the door opening; and

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The luminaire shown in the drawing employs a dust tight enclosure having an upper metal lamp housing I0 and a light transmitting window II.

The metal housing Ill has sloping side walls I2, I2, a top I3 provided with a stiffener I3 and ends I4 and I5 and inturned flanges 22 at the bottom. The top of the housing is provided with pipe fianges I8, I6, one of which is opposite the wire opening I'I. The latter flange carries a sealed fitting I8 whereby the entrance wires may be sealed in a gas tight manner. The entrance Wires may be carried over to a terminal block I9.

The window |I in the bottom of the housing has one or more glass plates 20 preferably with suitable prismatic contour for light control. These glass plates or lenses are fittedv into the opening 2| provided in the inturned flanges 22, 22 carried by the metal housing. Suitable elastic gasketing material indicated at 23 is placed around the periphery of the lens plates. They are clamped against this gasketing material by suitable clamp plates indicated at 24.

The side wall I2 of the housing is here shown as having two slotted lugs or ears '25, 25 which receive hinge links 26. These hinge links are secured to a sheet metal door 21. The side wall I2 is provided with an opening 28 which extends nearly the entire length of the side wall of the enclosure and almost from top to bottom. This opening in the side Wall of the fixture is framed port socket housings 37, 31 welded to a at plateV 38, so that this plate can be turned on the pins as pivots.

The plate 38 carries iiuorescent lamp holders or sockets 39, 39 and starter sockets .du (when employed) so that three uorescent lamps-M 4 I, il may be carried below the plate 33. The upper side of the plate carries the auxiliary ballast 42. The end walls i4 and I5 carry brackets 43, 43

and the plate 38l carries baiiie members 44, 44.

These baie members and the brackets 43, 43 carry locking devices indicated at 45 whereby the plate 38 may be locked in the horizontalposition shown in full lines in Figure 5. When the door is open the locking devices IE may be released and the plate 38 tilted from the full line position in Figure 5 to the position shown in dot-anddash lines where the edge of the plate 38 will be brought against a stop 46. The weight of the auxiliary will hold the parts in this position and the lamps may be readily removed and replaced through the door opening.

Should occasion arise to inspect the transformer or the wiring connections which are above the plate 38, the plate can be swung in the other direction, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, so as'to bring the Yballast toward the door opening and then it can be locked in this position by a small locking lever 47 `adapted to Yengage `a lever rest 38 carriedby the end lwall of the housing. Baille plates d5 and 5@ together with the'plate 38 divide the enclosureinto'two chambers. The walls of the lower chamber are painted white.

The assembly of the electrical parts of the xture is preferably completed outside the housing and the wiring connected .to the terminal block indicated at I9. The entire assembly of ballast, sockets and wires may be passed in throughthe door opening, placed on the fixed pivot pin 34 and then' the other pivot pin 35 fastened in place so as to khold all the parts in the proper position.

While the present'drawing illustrates the invention applied to dust tightlighting equipment designed for symmetrical light distribution, it will be understood that the invention is alsoapplicable to lighting equipment wherein the bottom lens plates are tilted to the horizontal rather than in ahorizontal-position, and, if desired, provisions may be made whereby the lamps and associated parts may be mcuntedin various positions within the enclosure so as'to secure selected Vasymmetric distributions.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, we wish it lto be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, we do not otherwise limit ourselves in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A dust tight lighting fixture for rectilinear fluorescent lampof predetermined length comprising-.a 4body having top, side and bottom walls longer than the lamp length and end walls, the bottom wall having a framed opening occupying substantially its entire length and width, a light transmitting closure permanently secured in place to close the opening, one of the side walls having an opening occupying substantially its entire 'length and Width, a door carried by this 'side wall and of 'a size to close the side opening,

means to seal the door in closed position, an electrical assembly including a plate, fluorescent lamp auxiliaries, wiring and sockets carried thereby, theassembly being insertable into or removable from the fixture body by being passed through theside opening, the body Iand plate having cooperable releasable devices for supporting the plate in place in the body, and uorescent lamps insertable through the side opening and into the sockets or removable from the sockets and through the side opening,

2. A unit such as claimed'in claim 1, wherein ie plate is pivoted at its ends to swing about a horizontal axis whereby it can be tilted in one direction to bring the lamps toward the door opening to facilitate lamp removal and replacement orin the otherv direction'to bring/the `auxiliary close tothe door opening.

3. A direct lighting `unit for fiuorescent'lamps having an elongated lamp housing, a normally horizontal lamp supporting plate pivotally supported within the housing toswing about a horizontal axis, meansfor holdingtheplate innormal position, a plurality of fluorescent lamp holders and luorecent lamps carried bythe plate below it, a lamp auxiliary carried by the top of the plate, theside of the housing having a door opening, a door for the opening, and stops carried by the `housing which permit turning the plate in one direction'to bring the lamps toward the door or in the other direction to bring the auxiliary toward the door.

4. A dust tight fluorescent lighting luminaire having a dust tight lamp enclosure witha light transmitting windowin the bottom thereofpermanently sealed in place, a removablev dust tight door in one side wall of the enclosure, a normally horizontal plate 'carrying a plurality of uorescent lamp-sockets andan auxiliary, theplate with attached parts being .insertable into the housing through the door opening and removable through the same, :means for .pivotally supporting the plate at its .ends so that either the upper or the lower face lof theplate, with'attachedparts,.may beturned toward the door,.and a releasable locking device for holding the'platein position'to place the-upper faee'of thev plate adjacent .the window.

DAVIS H. TUCK. KURT FRANCK. WILBERT QUACK. 

